dyke
noun/daɪk/
/daɪk/
(also dike)
The spelling dike is preferred in North American English in senses 1 and 2. - a long thick wall that is built to stop water flooding onto a low area of land, especially from the sea
- During the 1997 floods the sea broke through the dyke.
- (especially British English) a channel that carries water away from the land synonym ditch
- The first dykes were cut in the Middle Ages.
- Wind pumps were built at intervals on the dykes.
- (taboo, offensive, slang) an offensive word for a lesbian
Word Originsenses 1 to 2 Middle English (denoting a trench or ditch): from Old Norse dík, related to ditch. Sense (1) has been influenced by Middle Low German dīk ‘dam’ and Middle Dutch dijc ‘ditch, dam’. sense 3 1940s (earlier as bulldyke): of unknown origin.
Check pronunciation:
dyke